The Battle of Fire and Water
by xxFallenDoVexx
Summary: A young dragon girl finds herself facing an adventure of a lifetime. Facing dangerous dragons, weird wizards, and perilous times of war and trust, the world of Galadrax is just the beginning for Pheonix Greenwood as she learns what it means to be a hero.


_This is my first story, it's not a fanfiction but I hope that people will enjoy it!_

_Please review!_

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The Battle of Fire and Water

I tried to brush the tangles out of my bright red hair, My brush broke in half so I just fell on my bed and stared at the ceiling. My candles were burning and the fresh scent of berries filled my room. If I were an animal I would be a Pegasus, because they're beautiful creatures who have no fear and can fly and feel morning mist go through their body, sending chills down their back. I got a chill just thinking about it.

**I live in a world called Galadrax; it's a place where dragons rule all that live and conquer all that doesn't live. There's the red dragons who rule the fire lands. The black dragons rule the dead lands. The blue dragons rule the seas. The silver dragons rule the mines. The white dragons rule the mountains. The bronze dragons rule the deserts. The most important dragons, you could call them the king dragons, are the gold dragons and they rule the secret treasure lands; no one knows where they are except for the chosen ones. The land that I live in is the earthlands and my rulers are the green dragons. I'm supposed to have green hair but my mother married this guy who had red hair and was from the fire lands. So I got stuck with red hair and green eyes. **

**My name is Phoenix Greenwood. I don't belong here at all, I hate this place, the people here treat me like an outsider and the dragons stare me down like I'm an enemy. They disapprove of me burning candles, because fire burns wood and kills tree spirits. I have a fascination with fire. It is warm and friendly and soothes the skin. I can hold fire in my hand and it smiles at me and sends me warmth when my heart is cold. But if I pick up pieces of wood it frowns and gives me a splinter. If I climb a tree, it snickers and throws me off! **

**When I was little I would go to a tree called sweet willow and she would comfort me and tell me that the other dragons and people were jealous because I had red hair and could commute with fire. My green eyes gave me the ability to see things so far away even an eagle would struggle, but of course everybody else had that ability too. The normal people have the ability to bond with trees, the only tree I could talk to was sweet willow and her bark creaked and cracked as if she would fall at any moment. When the dragons found out about sweet willow talking to me, they chopped her down because she was associated with an outsider. I cried until my weary red eyes burned and no more tears could produce. **

**So now I'm seventeen, and I plan to go on a journey to find a place where I can feel like I belong. I picked up my leaf pack and gathered my candles, clothes, some bread and a water container full with fresh water from the river. I also got my raven Cyprus and my horse Jezebel. I waited till it was dark and then I set off. Before I left, I stopped by sweet willow's stump and kissed it then laid my flower crown on it.**

**Jezebel was a pure white horse with green eyes and Raven was as black as onyx with red eyes. They came to me when I was little because everyone else already chose their companions; therefore they were the leftovers. I didn't mind at all, I wouldn't trade them for the world, they could beat those pansy pets any day. I whispered in Jezebel's ear "Run like the wind." She galloped until we came across the green guard dragon Briar Patch. He was at his post, his huge green eves were glowing. Just looking at him made my eyes ache. I let out a huge sigh and rode toward him. His eyes pierced through my legs and told me to stop and explain my tidings. I got on my knees and said, "I don't belong here I wish to leave." He lifted his head, stretched and let out a huge yawn. A weird trickle of a feeling that tickled my brain went into me and the voice of the dragon came inside me saying **_why does strange girl feel unwanted._** I told Jezebel to stay along with Cyprus; then I walked up to Briar Patch and told him my whole life story. I felt my eyes getting watery so I wiped them off and held back the tears. His green eyes showed a sign of sympathy. The tickle came back in my brain and the voice said **_strange girl shows strong spirit and sad story, she may pass as long as she doesn't return because Briar Patch be in big trouble if boss ever find out._**I nodded and bowed. I jumped on Jezebel and Cyprus plopped on my shoulder, we were finally starting the journey of our life.**

**We rode on; I opened up my arms and embraced the night air running through my still tangled hair. My eyes were failing me so I fell asleep on Jezebel, using her soft mane as a pillow.**

**I woke up to the warm sunshine on my back. Jezebel looked tired and poor Cyprus looked starving, so we all sat in the grasslands and rested. I drank some water from the container and gave Cyprus a whole piece of bread, Jezebel and I had half apiece. I never realized that the earth lands were so beautiful. There were flowers all over the place and birds flying everywhere. It was so peaceful outside of town with no people or dragons to look down on you. **

**I was lying in the grass when Jezebel nibbled on my leg, I jumped up and just when I was going to yell I saw an old lady all in black with long green tree vines in her gray hair. Her eyes were almost black accept for a little bit of green in the center. She came up to me and I stepped back, unsure of what she wanted with me. The lady had a sad look on her face and cried, "How can you be afraid of a feeble old lady." I said, "I'm sorry, it's hard for me to see what is evil and what is good." She smiled and said "I can see why you would think me as evil, but I am far from it." She put her hand on my shoulder and said, "I am indeed a witch, but I am only evil to those who permit evil." She held out her hand and said, "Follow me young one and I shall show you how good I can be." **

**I nodded and told Jezebel and Cyprus to come with me. **

**We arrived at a small log cabin in the woods. It smelt of dead animals and such, but the flowers around it took away most of the smell. She led us into the living room and told us to wait there. While I was waiting I came across a bookshelf. The old lady came back with three potions. She gave me a white potion and told me to drink it only when I felt lost. She gave Jezebel a potion and made her drink it right then. Jezebel made a nasty face and suddenly her legs got longer and her body grew muscles. She gave Cyprus a small rock and told him to eat it. He did and there was a big red light in his head, It busted through his forehead and it was a beautiful red ruby. The old lady clapped her hands and laughed. When all was silent she exclaimed, "Now your horse is the quickest and strongest and when that ruby glows on your raven's head it means evil is near." I turned to look at my improved pets and hugged them both, when I turned around the old lady was gone. I said, "Thank you," hoping that she heard me. I hopped on Jezebel's back and Cyprus landed on my shoulder, we were ready to start off. It was the night of the third straight day without any food or water and Jezebel had to stop and rest, so we did. I found a nearby stream and filled up the water container. We still had enough bread. Jezebel jumped up and was ready to go again, I was ready to sleep. I lay on her back and rested my head on her mane. Cyprus came and curled up on my head.**

**When I awoke, it was light outside and Jezebel was staring at a big sea. I've never seen a sea before, I've only heard about them in the stories that Sweet Willow told me. It was amazing; like a neverending supply of sparkling water. Jezebel went over and took a drink from the water; I sat down and ate some of my bread. I looked up and saw blue veins coming out of Jezebel's pure white skin. I ran up to her and tried to figure out what was wrong. Cyprus started to cry out at the sea but I was too busy with Jezebel to notice.**

**I felt a trickling feeling go through my brain and heard a voice say **_who dares to drink from my waters,_**I looked around and saw that the red ruby on Cyprus's head was glowing Then a blue dragon busted out of the sea and landed on the beach. It glared at me; its icy blue eyes sent shocks of pain through my body. I knelt on one knee and said, "I didn't mean any harm. I'm just a traveler that wishes to explore the world." The dragon then sent a thumping feeling in my mind and the voice said **_oh you foolish girl those who drink from the water and aren't Aquarius shall be poisoned!_** I knew then that Jezebel would fall to the ground at any minute and breathe her last breath. I ran over to her and wrapped my arms around her pulsing neck. We then slowly fell to the ground and all was still. I ran up to the water took some in my hand and engulfed every single drop. I stood up and screamed at the dragon, "There, you can have my life too!" I just stood there waiting for something to happen but nothing did. Another trickling feeling came into my mind and said **_I..I.. don't understand you don't look like one of us; yet you can still overcome the power of the great water. _**I was confused, there was no way that I had Aquarius in me because I grew up in the earth lands. The dragon bowed its head and sent another trickle into to my brain, **_for my foolishness I shall grant you a favor, tell me wherever you wish to go and I shall grant it._**I knew that there was no more hope for Jezebel, her spirit was now with the trees, so I stood up and told the dragon," I wish to go to your home." The dragon's eyes brightened and a soothing warm feeling came into my mind; **_I shall be honored to have you as my guest._**With that being said, I jumped on the dragon's back and we flew way high into the sky. Cyprus jumped on my shoulder and kept a sharp eye on the dragon. I looked down and saw the beautiful blue sea, when the sun hit the right spot; you could see the faint colors of a rainbow on top of it. I felt like everything was being lifted off of my shoulders when I was on the dragon's back, it felt so calm and refreshing.**

**When I looked up there was a strange piece of land floating in the air and we were going straight for it. The dragon landed and we jumped off of her. I went up to the dragon and said" Pardon me but May I ask where we are and what I shall call you by." The dragon proudly stood up on its hind legs and sent a soothing feeling through my mind **_my name is Atlantica and this is my home, the seas, it would be my pleasure to show you to your room._**The city Aquarius had a huge shield of water covering it.**

**The room was cold and empty except for a bed and some chairs with a desk. I tried to light my candle but it burned out as soon as it was lit. I decided to leave the room and walk out into the city. The people were covered in sparkling blue cloak like clothing, they all had midnight blue hair and icy blue eyes. As I was walking they had confused looks on their faces. The blue dragons would growl as I passed. Another trickling feeling came into me and said **_so_ _how do you like my home_**I immediately knew it was Atlantica and responded " I don't understand why I can't use fire and everything here is so empty and cold feeling." His face got serious and he sent a painful feeling in me **_no fire, fire is bad!_** My head was pulsing, I put my hands on my head and screamed "Ok****, ok I'm sorry!" The pain stopped and very soothing feeling went through me **_I'm terribly sorry, it's just that the red dragons have been trying to take over our waters because they're water is evaporating, therefore they're humans are dying. Even if they did take our land they couldn't use our water because of the poisen in it. It scares me if they found a way to take away the spell. I nodded and said_** "I don't feel really welcome here because your people feel scared of me and I just feel so empty and unhappy here. The soothing feeling came to me and said **_I understand, you came at a very scared and sad time, trust me we used to be happy and carefree__, but all of those feelings are gone and have parished. I will take you to the next land but that is as far as I can go, I must keep an eye out for any evil that comes to the waters._**I hopped on Atlantica's back and said "Thank you for everything I truly hope that you and all your people will be ok." A cold feeling came into my mind _I _**_do too strange one, I do too_**I called for Cyprus and he plopped on my shoulder. We were ready to discover a new land. I looked up at the stars in the night sky and saw that the moon wasn't full and that always gave me a sense of good luck. I watched Atlantica's scales shimmer in the moonlight as my eyes slowly drifted into shut.**

**I woke up to a very cold breeze on my face; poor Cyprus was cuddled up on my chest.** **A trickling feeling came in my mind **_welcome to the mountains, this is where I leave you goodbye and good luck on your journey_**I got off and stepped into the cold snow before me. I waved away the dragon and held Cyprus close. I got out the water container and drank some water, I poured some in my hand and let Cyprus get some. We drank the last of the water and ate the last piece of bread. I took out a candle and lit it, thankfuly, it didn't go out. I walked through the cold and tried to see something but all I saw was the white snow and little outlines of trees. The wind started to blow and it blew out the candle, I put the candle away and started to feel my hands going numb. I knew I had to make a shelter out of something but the only things I saw were trees and I had nothing to cut them down with. I just kept on walking through the snow, my legs started to get really cold and itchy and my nose was frozen; Cyprus was like a cold ice cube against my chest. I saw mounds of snow, which appeared to be rocks so I walked over to them and wiped off all the snow. I had to find a fallen tree or some kind of cover to put over the rocks for a shelter. I started walking through the thick snow and ,to my luck, I saw a tree that had so much snow on it that it was pulled to the ground. I jumped on the trunk to break it but it didn't break. I took out the candle and put my hand over it and lit it up, I tore off a branch and lit the pine needles on fire. I sat there shivering and put the burning branch to the trunk of the tree. The branch blew out but the trunk caught fire just enough so I could jump on it again and break it off. I put Cyprus in my pack and wrapped him in the cloth that covered the bread, then I dragged the tree over to the rocks. The bark was rough against my hands but they were so numb that I couldn't even feel it. I arrived at the rocks and I threw the tree over them. It wasn't enough to make a shelter so I had to find some more trees. I put Cyprus under the tree and covered him up with the cloth. I set out to find more trees. I found five more and I dragged them all to the rocks, My whole body was numb and I was so tired but I would not give up. I stripped two of the trees so they would create poles and I put them against the one tree in a slant. I put two more in between the poles and rocks on each side to create sidewalls. And the last tree I would save for firewood. I pushed all the snow out of the floor of the shelter and burned the last tree into smaller pieces. I searched for smaller rocks and set them in the shelter. I dug a hole in the very back of the shelter and put pine needles in the bottom of it. I put the rocks in a circle for a fire ring and put the wood in the ring. I burned my candle and lit the wood, creating a warm fire. I held Cyprus against me and laid in the hole and began to feel my weary body melt with all the warmth around me. I was still hungry but I melted some snow for water and that helped my stomach a little bit. Soon my tired eyes could take no more and all turned black. **

**When I awoke the cold air came rushing in, I was so wore out and tired from the day before that I could not get up. Cyprus was shivering in my arms and I felt numb again. I tried to get up but I was so frozen that I could barely close my eyes. I just lied there and waited to be done for. I saw a dark shadow go over me and my eyes closed shut.**

When I opened my eyes I felt warm and rested, I lifted up my head and saw that I was on a bed. I heard a faint laugh so I got up and followed the noise. I walked into a kitchen and saw a girl with long black hair and eyes that were almost pure white but had a little dot of black in them, She was covered in wool and fur. Cyprus was on the other end of the table glaring at the girl. She stood up and held out her hand "Hello my name is Azriela and welcome to the mountains, although it's not very welcoming as you can see." I smiled and said "Yeah I've noticed it's so freezing and covered in snow." Azriela nodded and said" I know I'm the only person that survived this place that I know of, I saw you and knew you weren't from here because of the red hair and strange pet." Cyprus let out a huge croak. She laughed and said" I don't think it likes me very much, I do know the dragon Frea who lives in a cave in the mountains, perhaps if you talk to her she'll tell you where to go to get out of this place." I looked out the window and could see the mountains from a distance, I looked at Azriel and said" That would be great but I need help to get there and some food cause I'm starving." She nodded and said " Ok I will make you and your bird a big dinner and we will set out for the mighty mountains." I sat at the table and said "Thank you so much for saving me and helping me." She got out a pot and said" No problem, its been ages since I saw human life."

**Cyprus finally warmed up to Azriela once she gave him a nice meal. We were full of food and ready to start out into the mountains. Azriela handed me a big wool coat and said "This should keep you warm and I will bring some food and plenty of water for the journey." Cyprus jumped into the pocket and went to sleep.**

**It felt so good to be walking in the snow because the coat kept me warm and I knew that I was actually going somewhere. Azriela turned to me and said " It will take a few days till we get there and it's getting dark so we should set up for shelter." I nodded and asked, "What will we do for shelter." She smiled and pulled out a tent and lots of blankets. A big feeling of relief went through my body. We set up the tent and had a big fire going and all was relaxed and trapped with warmth. I showed her how I could put fire on my hand and make it dance; she showed me an instrument that she had made out of mammoth tusk. We were laughing and having a good time when we grew tired and fell asleep.**

**I woke up to a delicious plate of eggs and bread in front of me. I gave Cyprus some and gobbled down the rest. I put my coat on and walked outside, Azriela was no where to be seen, I packed everything up and still saw no sign of her. I strained my eyes to see all around me and saw footprints in the distance. I got Cyprus and the pack and ran toward them. When I found the footprints I followed them I saw that there were horse prints there too. I followed them to a cave; the cave had melted snow all around it. I lit a candle and walked through it, there was a red glowing light in my pocket and I realized it was Cyprus's head. I held him close and walked through the cave. I came across an opening and saw a man with a knife at Azriela's throat; he had red hair and there was a horse behind him. I didn't know what to do, suddenly Cyprus flew out of my hand went straight for the guy; he turned around and slammed his hand against the poor bird. I screamed and ran over to Cyprus. The guy had a puzzled look on his face and while his head was turned Azriela slammed her knee into his stomach, he dropped the knife and fell to the floor. She called out to me" Help me restrain him!" I ran to her and held the guy's other arm, we then tied him up with some rope we found in the horse's sack.**

**When we both caught our breath, I looked up at Azriela and said, "What happened?" She shrugged her shoulders and said, " I don't know, I was looking for more birds to hunt and this guy was riding up on his horse heading straight for me." She sat down and said, "He kept on asking me if I knew the remedy for the poisonous waters." I smiled and said," I know what he's talking about, the redlanders are trying to breech the water so they can take over the seas and won't die." She nodded her head and said, "So we are in the middle of a soon to be warzone, pretty soon they will have stations here in the mountains and it will destroy our land." She stood up and said, "We have to warn Frea about this." I nodded and said, "What should we do with him." She laughed and said, "I believe we have ourselves a slave." So we set off for the mountains yet again but this time it was for a better purpose. We walked and walked until it got dark again and we had to set up for camp.**

**While Azriela was helping Cyprus, the guy motioned for me to come over to him. I walked over to him and asked him what he wanted. He smiled an said, " Hi I'm Seth, how did you get away from the red dragons, they would have killed you if they knew what you were doing." I smiled and said, "I have never been to your lands." I told him the whole story of my life. He nodded and said, "Please don't think of me as a bad person I know I almost killed your friend but I really wouldn't have done it, I must find the remedy cause if I don't, the red dragons will kill me." I nodded and motioned Azriela to go over here. She came with a frown and said, "What is it?" I explained to her his position and she still was frowning and said, "How can I trust that what you say is true?" He smiled and said, "If I really was gonna hurt you, don't you think I wouldn't have fell when you kneed me?" She put her hand on her hip and said, "Now you know very well that I hurt you?" He laughed and said, "You know that you purposely didn't kick me that hard cause you didn't want to hurt me either." Her frown got bigger and she flipped her hair back and said, "Well maybe I just suck at kneeing people." He had a bigger smile and said, "Well whatever the situation I still prove my point." She let out a huge grunt and walked away. I untied him and invited him over to the fire. After a while everyone just forgot what happened and told stories of what they had been through and done. I could see little glimmers of sparks going on between Azriela and Seth. Soon everything died down and we all went to sleep.**

**We all got up and packed everything up, We ate some berries and drank some water. Cyprus still sent a glare at Seth every now and again. We had one more day until we reached the mountains and I was ready to see this dragon.**

It was around midday when I saw a distant figure walking, I told them about it and we hid behind a rock. We realized that it was a man with black hair and white eyes that had little dots of black in them just like Azriela's. Just as he was approaching near, Seth jumped up from the rock and tackled him to the ground. The man stood up and shoved Seth then said, "Hey watch out." Seth got up real close to him and said, "I'm just protecting her," He pointed at Azriela. The man smiled at Azriela, took her hand and said, "May I just say that I understand why you tackled me because this is the most beautiful woman that I ever saw." Azriela let out a small giggle and said, "Why thank you kind sir, what name shall I call you." The man stood up real tall and said "My name is Ezikiel and I shall be your new protector." Seth just tightened his fists and walked toward the mountains.

It was almost night and we had to stop for camp, I was so glad too because I could not take another cheesy line and giggle from the two lovebirds anymore. I set up a fire and looked for a stream somewhere. As I was walking, I saw a shimmering object in the snow.

When I picked it up I saw that it was a feather, I've never seen a silver feather before, the bird must be beautiful. I found a stream and went back to camp. I showed the feather to everybody and they didn't know what kind of bird it would have fell off of. I put the feather in my leaf pack and warmed by the fire. Azriela laid her head on Ezikiel's shoulder and started to sing. I have never heard a voice so beautiful, it freed my mind and I slowly fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning and everyone was asleep. I packed everything up and walked around for a little bit. I went to the place where I had found the feather and saw trails of blood; I followed them to a cave. When I walked in it was cold and dark; I lit one of my candles and walked through it. I came to an opening and saw a fire burning. I walked up to it and there was a bird cooking on the fire. Cyprus let out a cry as if it knew the bird. It looked tasty but I didn't want to take another persons food supply so I left the feather and went back to camp. When I got back I saw piles of food on the ground. Azriela laughed and said "These two had a little contest to see who could get the most food for me, but it ended in a tie." Seth and Ezikiel were staring each other down.

We all pigged out and would be full for a long time, so we gathered our things and set out to finally meet the dragon. Seth went up to Ezikiel and said "You know what you can have her, you two are perfect for each other." I saw the hurt in Azriela's eyes and realized that she was in love with Seth. It was all real quiet except for Ezikiel; he kept on talking to Azriela about marriage and how beautiful she was. I couldn't stand another minute in the love feud; I had to get to the mountain today.

I kept on sensing something was nearby, following us. Azriela walked up to me and said, " When you approach Frea, be sure to act humble and respectful, she has no tolerance for rude and obnoxious people." I nodded and asked, " She sounds so proper, it kind of reminds me of my mother in a way." Azriela smiled and said, " My mother was like that too." The wind started to blow harder and huge flakes of snow hit our faces. Thankfully we were approaching the mountain when it all started. Ezikiel said, "Do you think that was Frea warning us?" His question was left unanswered; we all were amazed at the sight. The mountain looked cold and rough from the outside, but the inside was composed of ice crystals that changed different colors and lit up the walls. On the top there hung a golden chandler with diamonds hanging off it. In the far corner there was an ice staircase that had a strip of red velvet running up to a steel door. We all climbed the stairs and arrived at the door. I knocked on it and the sound echoed throughout the entire room. We heard some rumbling around and then a soft but powerful feeling went through my brain _why do you stand at my door, explain yourself please _I said, " Me and my friends have terrible news for you and I would wish to leave this place." The feeling came back My your a polite little one, I want to hear your story but you must say please and destroy the haste in your voice. I replied, " I'm terribly sorry, would you please allow us to come inside and have a word with you?" The latch on the door came off and it slowly creaked open. We walked in and were in awe at the sight before us. The dragon was so beautiful, its pure white fur was flowing with life and its scales were made of pure steel. The most entrancing thing about her was her eyes; they resembled pearls that had a soft touch to them. The feeling came back and stated _Why must you stare with such content, Thank you for doing as I ask, would you please stop staring and state your purpose for seeking me? _I snapped out of it and said, "The redlanders are getting thirsty for Atlantica's waters and soon there will be a huge war." The feeling came back and said _I know of this, I've seen it in the ice crystals. I can't do anything, there is no army in my land and nowadays it's every land for itself. _I said, "I'm sure other lands will come to your aid, you at least have to try." Seth slammed his fist into the wall and said, "How can you do this, your just gonna let your land be covered in blood and destroyed!" Seth fell to the ground and was curled up in a little ball, holding his hands against his head. Seth screamed, "I'm sorry, please stop dragon!" He got up and just leaned against the wall. The dragon's eyes turned to me and the feeling came into my head _Tell your friend to watch his tongue and to call me Frea. Now it is impossible to seek aid, no dragon in their right mind will bring an army to conditions in which they are not used to accept, of course, for obtaining another land. Each land is different and the people who live there are adapted to their environment. So my suggestion to you is to go back to where you came from and not worry about a land that is not yours. _I held back the anger inside me and said, "I can't possibly go back there, Look Frea I'm going to help you whether you want it or not. I care for every land in this world even though I have yet to see them all. I will find one that is perfect for me, but I can't possibly find a place if they are all killing each other off." The feeling came back and said _I admire your soul little one. I will be honored if you seek aid, but it's not a promising task. I will help you get to the next land, which is the mines, so watch out for greed and do not take anything of value._ I smiled and said, "Thank you so much, I will find you aid." I looked at everyone and said, " Who all will join me?" Azriela stepped up and Eziekiel followed her. Seth said, " I got nothing else to do and I'm definitely not going back to where I came from." I looked at Frea and said, "So it's settled then, do you have enough room for us all?" The dragon chuckled and sent another feeling to my mind _why of course I do. _So we all jumped on and Cyprus flew on my shoulder once again.

**The snowy wind was blowing hard against our faces and I wanted this flight to come to an end. Poor Cyprus's beak had an icicle hanging from it. We were so tired from our day but couldn't possibly sleep under these conditions. Seth took out a huge blanket from his pack and said, "Everyone get close together; Phoenix you grab the end of the blanket and pull it over us all." As soon as Seth threw the blanket toward me, I pulled it over everyone and all the warmth came rushing in. The blinding snow was gone and the only sound that came from under the blanket was gentle snores.**

**Seth was the first brave soul to peek out of the blanket. He gently whispered, "The snow is gone, come out and enjoy the sight." The blanket was pulled away and we were amazed at what was before us. There was no snow; instead we were welcomed with a beautiful Diamond castle that sparkled against the colors of the sunset. When I looked beyond the castle, I saw nothing but rocks and dirt. It was such a shame that the rest of the land was so bland and boring. Frea landed with perfection onto the rocky land below. This time she looked at all of us and spoke, "You are now in the Mines, I bid you farewell and hope this will not be the last I lay eyes upon you all. Be careful don't trust everyone that passes your way and watch out for the evil for it is all around. Good luck young ones, may justice guide your way." And with that the dragon glided away into the sky. I saw green tents in the distance and told everyone to follow me. We hung our coats on the trees and walked up the steep mountain. Silence filled the air; no one said a word. There were no birds singing and everything was so still and lifeless. As we got closer to the tents, we heard clinging noises and yells. When we approached the top of the hill, I saw silver objects and moving dots coming in and out of a cave. As we were walking I saw another strange object to the east of the tents. It looked like a man on a horse but colors were surrounding them, I got the feeling that he was watching me so I drew my attention back to the tents. **

**When we all were in looking distance, we saw that the silver objects were dragons and the moving dots were humans. The dragons were treating the humans as slaves and the humans were covered in dirt and had blood on the back of their shirts. Azriela had to look away and a tear ran down from my face. Seth and Ezekiel were ready to fight every last dragon down at the sight of this torture. We were about to finally reach the tents when one of the dragons saw us and let a huge roar. The dragon flew toward us and landed, causing a huge rumble from the ground. My whole body was in terrible pain, I had to fall to the ground and a deep, raspy voice boomed into me **_who are you? What have you come for? You better not be any thieves cause if you are; I'll slit all of your throats with no regrets! Now explain yourself at once!_**The pain stopped and I got back on my feet, it was hard for me to gain my breath back and as soon as I did I fainted.**

**When I awoke, I was laying on a pillow and saw rocks all around me. It was not a welcoming sight. I lifted my head up and still felt a little dizzy. I looked around me and saw the same white horse I saw when I was on the hill. The colors I saw were feathers intertwined in it's main. As the wind blew, the horses main would fly and all the colors of the feathers would blow; it was a beautiful sight. I saw the same silver feather I found in the snow. I was startled by a voice behind me that said, "I see you have recovered, sorry if I alerted you. My name is Eagleheart and I must have a word with you." I was so entranced with his appearance that I did not answer him right away. He had long curly black hair that also had feathers intertwined in it. He was wearing a black leather vest with shiny silk pants. He had a bow and arrow strapped behind his back and a sword around his waist. His eyes were a deep purple and his skin glowed in the sunshine. We stood there staring at each other for a while then I remembered he asked me a question and felt embarrassed. I got my composure back and replied, "What is it that you want to tell me." He smiled and said; "Do you even know of what you are?" I was puzzled and stated, "Why of course I'm Phoenix Greenwood of the Earthlands." He nodded and said, "I don't mean who you are, I'm saying _what_ you are. You see there are people who fit in and people who don't. You know that you don't fit in anywhere because of red hair and green eyes. I have black hair and purple eyes with doesn't let me fit anywhere either. Many years ago there was a land called the Tropica and it was surrounded with beautiful trees and flowers everywhere. The people in Tropica were always colorful with deep purple eyes and light purple hair; the dragons had rainbow scales that shimmered in the sunlight. I was born with black hair and so you know all too well that I didn't fit in at all." I nodded and felt comforted that there was someone out there that went through the same thing I did. I walked up to him and asked, "So what does this mean, that there are all kinds of people like you and me out there somewhere?" Eagleheart's eyes saddened and he said, "This is where my story comes to a sad end. Yes, there were people just like you and me but they knew not of their purpose. They grew old and died with their bodies unclaimed. So, that I know of, you and me are the only ones left." I nodded and held back the tears trying to spring out of me, then I said, "What purpose do you talk of. I was told that I was a mistake, that my mother and father came from two different worlds." He grabbed my hand and said, "Brace yourself for what you're about to hear. It is true that your parents came from two different worlds but what you haven't been told is when this happens, you are given a special power that protects you from any power in this world." My eyes were filled with astonishment and I said, "So that's why I can hold fire and talk to trees. When I drank the poisonous water and didn't die, it was because of the power! If two people from different worlds can make that power why won't we all do that so everyone can't kill each other." He put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Whoa, slow down a minute. I didn't mean you can never die, if something harms you with a weapon or it's self then you'll still be harmed. The reason why two people that are different can't do that anymore is because the laws of the land have been broken from the Red dragons trying to steal the water from seas, therefore, the magic will no longer work." I nodded and sat back down then said; " I just want everyone to get along and all the lands to help each other. Why does it have to be this way, everything is so cruel and unhappy," a tear ran down my face and Eagleheart sat down beside me and wiped it away then said, "I admire your care for everything and I too feel the same way. It may be because we feel that we belong to every land because of the way we are. I would do anything to set things right, that is what I'm trying to do now. I want to stop the Red dragons from destroying this place. When I saw that someone had found the silver feather and brought it back to my whereabouts, I wanted to find them and thank them. When I saw it was you, I was shocked that you too were like me. I had to talk to you and meet you, now that I have; I must say that I am glad to be in your presence. You are indeed the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I feel your pain and know exactly what you're feeling right now." I couldn't hold my tears any longer, so they all ran out. I laid my head on his strong shoulders and cried out all my frustrations and fears. We sat there, embracing each other, for what seemed like forever. I then looked up at Eagleheart and asked him, "Do you know where my friends have gone?" He nodded and replied, "The princess dragon, Delilah, has taken them captive." I got up and said, "Will you help me get them back." He smiled and said, "Wherever you go I will follow."**

**Eagleheart jumped on his horse and pulled me up with him. It reminded me of Jezebel a little and I started to miss her. I asked him what he called his horse and he replied, "I call her Rainbow." I let out a small giggle at the simplicity of the name, although it did suite her well. **

**We reached the castle and I didn't admire it as I once did before. Now, when I looked at it I felt hatred at what waits inside. Eagleheart whispered something to Rainbow and she quickly galloped away. I walked up to the castle and said, "So, do you have any idea of how you enter this place?" He nodded and said, "From what I heard, this place is all diamond except for one spot; there is a door somewhere that is made of a type of fake rock that looks like diamonds." We began searching at the center of the castle and tried to see a difference somewhere and had no luck. We searched for hours and hours and found nothing so we just sat there for a while; hoping that someone will come running out to reveal the secret entrance. Eagleheart pointed at the sunset and said, "Wow look at how the colors hit the castle; it's so incredible." I immediately stood up and said, "You're a genius; we have to find the spot that doesn't show the colors of the sunset as vibrant as the rest of the castle!" We once again searched, but this time we were successful. Sure enough, there was a spot that didn't shine as colorful as the rest of the castle. I pushed against it and the door slowly creaked open. As we walked down the hallway, I couldn't help but look at all the jewels and gems embedded in the rock walls around us. The flickering of the fire torches made them glimmer every now and again. The hallway lead us to a big circle opening that had marble floors and a golden staircase that winded up to the ceiling. At the center of the ceiling, there was a big diamond dome that sent little shards of rainbows throughout the place. I was confused because there were no guards to protect anything in the castle. Eagleheart grabbed my hand as we walked up to the stairs; I smiled and held it tight. Each step of the staircase had a red ruby in the center of it; whoever stayed at this castle had to of loved the look of jewel, gems, diamonds, pretty much anything that looked shiny and was valuable. Right when we stepped on the steps, the rubies started glowing red. This reminded me of Cyprus and I yelled, "Oh no my raven, did he get captured too!" Eagleheart nodded and we begin walking once more. We reached the top of the stairs and came upon a silver door with what looked like mercury around the handle. I turned to Eagleheart and said, "What do we do now?" He smiled and said, "Don't you remember, no spell can harm you, go ahead see for yourself." I grabbed the handle and nothing happened, I turned it and the door flung open. We walked hand in hand into the room and were horrified at the sight. There were three crystals before us, in each crystal stood Ezekiel, Azriela, and Seth. It was if they were frozen inside of them. Then I saw poor Cyprus frozen inside a crystal hanging from the ceiling. I was disgusted at the site and couldn't bear to look at my friends any longer. Eagleheart tapped on my shoulder and pointed at the center of the room. There was a rainbow light that came from a crystal at the top of the ceiling, which transformed into the shape of a dragon. Then the shape blasted into shards that filled up the room. Now what stood before us was a dragon with silver scales that shimmered and its wings and eyes were made of pure diamonds. Around its neck was a golden chain that had a crystal hanging from it. The most intriguing part of it was its tail, it had spikes made of rubies at the end and they were glowing red which made fantastic gleams of rainbows all over the its wings. Eagleheart gasped and said, "Delilah." I've never seen a dragon so beautiful. Her voice came into my mind and it sounded so sharp as if it would pierce my ears, but it was soft and light in a way. **_Why do you stand in my presence? Are you a fool? Or are you a thief. Do you not see what happened to the last thieves that crossed my way? Who is that with you, he knows my name, will you not say a word? Questions and more questions. Well speak child or go join the rest!_**I looked at Eagleheart and he nudged me forward so I let out a sigh and said," My name is Phoenix; I am no thief or threat to you. This is Eagleheart and he is a friend. Those people you see are also friends of mine. We all have come here to ask you a question and one only. We all have no interest in your little trinkets and have a more serious matter on our hands that we want to speak with you about. That is why we've come here. Would you please free my friends and answer this one question and I promise we will be on our way empty handed. The dragon's eyes narrowed **_you have my attention, what is it that you wish to ask me. And only then will I think of freeing your little trinkets as you call my precious treasure_**I nodded and replied, "The red dragons have broken the rules and are trying to take over the seas. Will you not come to the aid of the seas?" Delilah chuckled and sent a mocking feeling through my mind **_Oh you are a foolish one. There is no way I am going to take my miners away from working to help some land that I really could care less about. You should have known by now that the only way you can persuade me is bring something of value, a trinket as you call it. For this offer I would say a rather big trinket._**I wanted so badly to wipe that smile off her face, instead I smiled back and said, "Ok I will get you your precious treasure. Where would I find it?" The dragon then became very interesting in this trade and sent another message into my mind **_Ok, you think you can get it. I assure you that many have tried to get this but they failed and soon perished never to be seen again. I have little doubt that you could find it so just to get rid of you, I will tell you of what I seek. It's here in this land and it taunts me so. My miners have mined as far as they can, but there is a point in the cave where no light shines through. We call it the fading point, I don't know what happens but no one comes back, they all disappear once they go passed the point. I know there is some kind of treasure hiding there, I can feel it in my bones. If you find this, I will give you your trinkets back and consider bringing aid to the seas_**I looked at Eagleheart and we knew we would have no choice. I stood tall and said, "Ok, we will find your treasure and bring it to you." The dragon's eyes showed little gleams of light and its tail came to rest, another message came to me **_Ok, good luck, __and trust me you'll need it_**With that we walked out of the castle, Eagleheart whistled and Rainbow came running up to us. We rode over to the mines and ran into the guard dragon Gerald. He sent the same message into me, except this time it was more bearable **_I see you are going to the fading point. You'll be doomed the moment you set foot there_**We ignored him and continued on. When we came to the last torch; I turned to Eagleheart and said, "I feel as if I should do this alone. You should wait for me here, then at least one of our kind will still be alive." His purple eyes saddened and he replied, "I can not and will not let you go. If saving our type is the case then I will go and you will stay. I care for you too much to see you disappear into darkness. Now, I won't take no for an answer you mustn't go it alone. It's either the both of us or me." I took his hand and said," I have to go alone. It can't be you; I feel as if it is my duty not yours. You said you would follow me wherever I went and I thank you for it but this is something I must do, please understand and accept that it has to be this way." I felt his hand collapse against mine and, with a tear in his eye, he pulled me close. He embraced and I held on tighter than ever; I didn't want to leave but I knew I had to. I pulled away and walked into the darkness. It was cold and dark inside; I couldn't even see my hand in front of me. I felt through my leaf pack for a candle and finally came across one; I lit it and looked around me. The place where I was walking was no paradise. The walls were nothing but ice and the ground and ceiling were dirt. I felt as if something was watching me and I did not like that feeling at all. A strong gust of wind went by me and I could here something say, "Go back." I kept on walking and finally saw the light of a fire flickering around the corner. When I reached the fire, I saw piles and piles of gold and jewels. I picked up a sword that had a cobra at the end. When I looked into the red eyes of the snake, they started to glow. I dropped the sword and felt something behind me. I turned around and saw nothing. I said in a whisper, "Is anyone there?" Then, the air started to blow fiercely and dust started covering the entire room; I quickly covered my eyes and fell to ground. When everything became calm I opened my eyes and stood up. It was dark and I knew that someone or something else was in the room. I lit my candle and felt my way through; I felt the wall and came across a torch, I put my candle on it and, as soon as it was lit, a whole chain of torches lit up around the entire room. When I turned around I finally saw who was with me the entire way. It was indeed another dragon; it was completely silver except for its claws, which were diamonds. We stood there eyeing one another for quite a while. A kind of smooth and scratchy feeling came into me **_you're wasting your time; you will not leave here with any of my treasure. How many must I kill to get this through to everyone? Now go I don't want to kill anymore._**I wiped some dust off my dress and said, "I do not wish to have any of your treasure; I've come here to save my friends which the dragon Delilah has taken captive. I only want one piece of treasure to give to her so she will free my friends and possibly help fight a war about to be held." The dragon laughed and replied **_you have no clue who Delilah is! She will never do all that for a simple piece of gold. You will need something grand and exquisite. I will not let her have any of this; she doesn't deserve it. My father gave us this land and her greed turned it into a slave mine! She gave me no choice but to hide the treasure he gave to us and kill all who dared to take it_**I nodded and said, "So she is your sister? How come your father doesn't stop all this madness?" His scales tightened up **_he is too busy guarding his lands and living his own life. My father is the king of the treasure lands and I have no clue where or who he is anymore. I can remember playing there as a child; it was a golden palace covered with gems and jewels. The air smelt of honeysuckle and exotic flowers. There was a time when maidens and knights roamed the place as equals with the dragons. Soon all of the happiness was stopped when someone had killed my mother to steal the sacred moonstar, which was the most beautiful gem that came from the moon itself. My father gave it to her as a proposal of marriage. For years and years he searched for the moonstar. On the way of his search, dragons came from everywhere to help him and humans did too. My father finally stopped the search and returned to the Treasure lands. The moonstar was never found and so my father became sick of treasure and could no longer look at it. He sent my sister and me to the mines with half of his treasure. Delilah insisted that we should build a huge castle that sparkles with tons of diamonds and jewels. I told her, " As long as the rest of the treasure gets locked up in a vault." She agreed and thus our castle was built as you can see. Delilah soon became greedy and would take gold behind my back. She used the gold to buy slaves and pay guards to mine out all the diamonds and hidden treasures in this land. I was disgusted with what had happened and took the treasure to this place and have guarded it since_**I nodded and asked; "Does your sister know you'rehere?"A small trickle of smoke rose from the dragon's nostril **_No, she believes that I ran off with the rest of the treasure to find father._**I sighed and said, "This world has turned cold and selfish. If you really want to see your father and live the way it used to be, you should stop sulking around this cave and do something about it." His eyes pierced into mine and a sharp pain went into my lungs **_who are you to order me around, you're nothing but a little girl who can't keep her mouth and eyes shut!_**I fell to the ground; tears fell from my face and my body started to tremble. I could feel my lungs pressing together and my throat pulse. I crawled toward the dragon and uttered, "Please stop." His eyes suddenly closed and he turned away **_you shouldn't anger me. What of this war you were talking about?_** I stood up and replied, "The red dragons have broken the laws and are planning to steal the water from the seas." **_So, you are traveling all this way just to aid the seas. Aren't you getting something in return?_**I smiled and said, "Yes, if it all goes well, there will be a world with no wars and dragons and humans will unite once more." The dragon chuckled **_You think if you stop one war then it will all be better. What about the red dragons they will surely hold grudges and attack once more. You forget that this world is full of sadness and anger; there will never be a perfect world._**I looked straight into his eyes and said, "Maybe, but if you never try then the world will always be full of sorrow and death. I for one will not sit here and do nothing. If I die then it will be with pride and honor for this world is worth saving. The dragon shook his head **_you have to be the most interesting creature I ever met, so much determination at such a young age. I'll help you fight this war with all the strength in my soul. Let's go and get your friends back first_**I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, "Thank you so much." For the first time I saw him smile **_no thank you._**I climbed on his back and said, "You never told me your name**_?" It's Steel._**He took off and it was like flying at the speed of light; everything went into slow motion except for Steel. **

**When we flew out of the cave I saw Eagleheart sleeping on Rainbow's belly. Since steel couldn't fit through the secret door, we flew up to the ceiling. He whispered something under his breath and we slowly fell through it, into the castle. When we reached the floor he smiled and said **_only my sister and me know the secret words._**Then another voice came from the shadows **_well, brother it has been a long time hasn't it_**Steel snapped at his sister **_you have tortured enough people Delilah. It's time for you to free these people._**Delilah turned to me and glared **_I tell you to bring me something valuable and you bring my worthless brother._**Steellaughed **_worthless! You know I have the rest of father's treasures. I will hand it over on two conditions and I believe you know what they are_**Delilah smiled **_so you want me to free my prisoners and go to war for father's treasure. Tempting, but I won't do both._**Steel gritted his teeth **_why do you have to be so difficult, what else do you need?_**Delilah grinned **_the moonstarofcourse._**Steel roared **_you of all people don't deserve it and even if you did, you know it is impossible to find!_** I walked over to Delilah and said, "Please help us?" She turned to me **_you still don't get it, I won't unless I get something very valuable that is worth doing all this_**My eyes narrowed and I screamed, "I have had enough of you and your selfishness!" I grabbed the necklace from her neck and ran. Steel flew toward me and I lifted up onto his back. Delilah roared **_give that back little girl that was my mother's. If you don't then I'll rip you to shreds_**I smiled and yelled, "I will under one condition." She roared even louder and went straight for us. I threw the necklace to Steel and he acted like he was going to brake it in half. Delilah stopped and growled **_okay fine! I'll do it, I'll go to war and free your friends just please don't brake it._**Steel sighed **_Good, I'll give you the treasure and necklace after everything is done_**Delilah grunted **_fine_**She moved to the center of the room and whispered a spell that sent beams of light toward Azriela, Ezeikiel, Seth and Cyprus. They all floated down to the ground and Cyprus flew into my arms. I kissed Cyprus on his head and ran over to the rest. Azriela smiled and said, "That was weird, I could see everything but I couldn't move or blink." Ezeikiel said, "Yeah, you really showed that dragon who was boss." Delilah blew smoke from her mouth and glared at Ezeikiel. He bowed to her and gently said, "A very beautiful dragon I might add." Delilah rolled her eyes and walked away. Seth smiled and said, "Thank you for rescuing us, I can't say I would have done the same but as of now I would." I smiled and said, "I'm glad to see all of you alive, lets go and rest before we continue to travel." We all climbed on Steel's back and he took us to the mine grounds. I turned to him and said, "Thank you again for helping me I couldn't have done it without you." He smiled **_I'm glad to be of assistance thanks to you I feel alive again. I'm gonna go have a chat with my sister so make yourselves at home, you won't have any problems here anymore_**I nodded and ran over to Eagleheart, he was still sleeping with Rainbow. I kissed his cheek and he opened his eyes, he jumped up and hugged me tight then said, "I'm glad you're alive." I smiled and said, "I'm glad to see you. My friends are fine and we even got Delilah to help us fight the war. He nodded and said, "That's great****, shall we go meet them." I smiled and took his hand, we walked over to everyone. They were all laughing around a warm fire. They all were silent when me and Eagleheart walked over. I smiled and said, "This is Eagleheart, he is a new addition to our group." He waved and replied, "It's nice to meet all of you." **

**Everyone danced and told stories. After a while it got quiet and the only two people that talked were Eagleheart and me. I was laying on his chest as he told me about how beautiful Tropica was, "There were flowers and waterfalls everywhere and the birds were covered with color and shine." I smiled and said, "Is that where you got all the feathers from your hair?" He nodded and said, "Yes I collected them when I was a boy, so I kept them as a reminder of how the world used to be. The silver feather you found was from my bird ,Zeelix; he died of old age." I yawned and said, "I wish the world was like that now." He smiled and said, "I do too Phoenix, I do too." Then all was silent.**

**This as far as I've gotten. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, if not then feel free to tell me what you thought. I'm open for ideas and any advice. This is the first story that I've written outside of school. Thank you for taking the time to read The Battle of Fire and Water.**


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